Weather strip



May 25, 1954 S. D. BRADLEY WEATHER STRIP Filed Dec. 20, 1951 INVENTOR. 5 TEPHEN 12 5mm ka-21W Patented May 25, 1954 WEATHER STRIP Stephen D. Bradley, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Detroit Macoid Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 20, 1951, Serial No. 262,529

4 Claims. (01. ZIP-56.4)

The present invention relates to an improved weather strip which is particularly but not exclusively adapted to provide a cushioning support and weather seal between an automobile window or windshield glass and the body of the automobile.

When a Weatherstrip is in position between the window panel and the frame portion of the body surrounding the window opening of an automo bile, it has been found desirable to provide some type of locking means which will exert pressure within the Weatherstrip and hold the window panel securely in position without danger of the Weatherstrip working loose. One manner of accomplishing this has been to form a groove in the side of the Weatherstrip body and expand the groove for insertion of a separate rigid member within the expanded groove after the Weatherstrip is in the assembled position. Such a procedure generally requires special expansion and locating tools. Further, since the separate inserted rigid member and. the Weatherstrip usually are of difierent materials, it has been found that the inserts work loose within a relatively short time and the lock is no longer eificient.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved Weatherstrip wherein simple and eiiicient locking means is provided to eiiiciently lock the Weatherstrip in the assem- :zn !2 comprises an outer trim molding it and an bled position under pressure between aligned inner trim molding 28 connected by a web 22. members to be connected. The inner portion of the body is provided with Another object of the present invention is to the groove 2d which is adapted to receive the provide such a Weatherstrip wherein the locking edge of the window panel Hi. The outer side of means is provided as an integral part thereof. 5 the body is provided with a gripping portion com- Other objects of this invention will appear in prising the flattened leg 26 and the normally the following description and appended. claims, displaced leg 2? which are adapted to grip the reference being had to the accompanying drawbody flange it in the assembled position. ings forming a part of this specification wherein A locking member is provided integral with like reference characters designate correspond- 40 the Weatherstrip. This locking member coms partsinthe several views. prises a T-shaped head 28 extending inwardly In t drawings from the inner trim molding 29 and having an Figure l is a fragmentary elevation showing opening 29 adjacent thereto. The cross bar of the exterior side of an automobile windshield the T-shaped head it is unbalanced and provides mounted in an automobile body by the weather- 45 a long peg 3t and a short peg 32. A recess 3 is Strip o the present invention; formed in the Weatherstrip body and is adapted Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken to receive the short peg 32 of the head 28 in the along line 22 in the direction of the arrows, locked position. V In assembling, the Weatherstrip i2 disclosed Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the Weatherstrip in Fig. 3 is placed so that the groove 24- seats shown in Fig. 2 in the open or unassembled the edge of the window panel it as in Fig. 2. The" p t on; and 1 flat leg 25 adjacent the outer trim molding I8 is Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 2 and 3 then placed against the flange it of the automorespectively but showing a modification of the bile body Hi. The inner trim molding 2a is next present invention. s5 moved inwardly toward the glass panel :0. The

Before explaining the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

A particular embodiment of the present invention is shown in the drawings wherein Fig. 1 shows an automobile window panel to joined by the Weatherstrip, indicated generally by the numeral 92, at a weatherproof seal to the sheet metal edges of the windshield opening provided in the automobile body M.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, a metal flange i5 is provided by the pinch weld formed on the body it, which flange it surrounds the windshield opening in the vehicle. The weatherstrip l2 resiliently cushions the window panel iii and seals the space between the flange it and the edges of the window panel it].

The Weatherstrip of the present invention preferably comprises an elastic deformable material, such as rubber or rubber-like plastic material, and may be suitably formed by conventional extrusion methods. The body of the Weatherstrip L3 long peg 39 is folded back into the opening 29 and the short peg 32 is snapped into the groove 34. The leg 27 of the gripping portion is thus held against the inner portion of the body flange It.

With the locking member in the operative position (Fig. 2) the deformed long peg 36 of the head 28 tends to force the inner trimmolding- 20 away from the body flange is. This force is counterbalanced by the short peg 32 which seats in the groove 34 and prevents the inner trim molding 26 from being displaced from the operative position.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the design and operation of the locking member has been changed to increase the effective area of pressure applications inside of the strip. As here shown, the strip H2 is connected between a glass panel Ht and the flange H6 formed on the body 1 i4 surrounding the opening in which the window panel lid is to be mounted.

The body of the Weatherstrip H2 comprises an outer trim molding i 48 and an inner trim molding 128 connected by a web 122. The inner portion of the body is provided with the groove in which is adapted to receive the edge of the win dow panel I Hi. The outer side of the body is provided with a gripping portion comprising the fiattened leg I25 and the normally displaced leg i2? which are adapted to grip the body flange I It in the assembled position.

A locking member is provided integral with the Weatherstrip. This locking member comprises the substantially T-shaped head i28 extending outwardly from the inner trim molding iii The cross bar of the T-shaped head W3 is unbalanced and provides a long peg Hill and a short heavy peg. I32 having the fingers 36 formed thereon. A recess E34 is formed in the Weatherstrip body and is adapted to receive the short peg i32 of the head 128 in the locked position. The fingers 135 are distorted when they engage the flange H6 and create a pressure which holds the peg E32 in position within the recess I34. The long peg I30 of the head I23 is disposed against the body lid of the vehicle to create an additional pressure which holds the short pegi32 of the head H8 in position Within the recess H34.

Assembling of the Weatherstrip H2 in position is accomplished in much the same manner as ex plained in connection with the first embodiment of the invention and is believed obvious without necessitating further explanation.

Either form of my construction thus provides a simple and efiicient locking means which is integral with the Weatherstrip. Since the entire Weatherstrip is formed of the same material there is no danger of one part expanding or contracting at a difierent rate than another to render the Weatherstrip inefiicient. The lock provides a pressurized engagement between the Weatherstrip and the window panel and the Weatherstrip and the automobile body flange to increase the efiiciency of the seal and providea weathertight contact at these points.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A Weatherstrip adapted to engage adjacent edge portions of two parts to be joined, comprising abody of resilient material having an inward- 1y extending groove therein adapted to receive the edge portion of the first of the'two parts, a gripping portion formed on the outer side of said A body and adapted to grip the second of said parts, said gripping portion comprising a pair oi legs one of which is displaced in the normal position, a substantially T-shaped locking head formed on the normally displaced leg, the cross bar on the T-shaped locking head being unbalanced to provide a short heavy peg having protruding fingers thereon and a long peg, and a recess. formed in the Weatherstrip body to receive the short peg of the locking head, the fingers on said short peg being deformed in assembly against the first part to be joined and the long peg extending against the first part to be joined to exert a pressure and maintain the locking head in the locked position.

2. A Weatherstrip for joining two parts comprising, a body. of resilient material having a portion thereof formed to receive an edge of one of the parts, a first leg, integrally formed with said body for seating an edge of the second part, a second leg hingedly connected to said body by a resilient neck, the resilience of said neck tending to force said second leg way from said first leg, said first and second leg together forming a recess therebetween, a locking head integrally formed with said second leg, a first projection on said locking head, and a second projection compressively retained in assembly between said locking head and the surface which defines said recess for urging said first projection into locking position in the recess.

3. A Weatherstrip for joining two parts com prising; a body of resilient material having a portion thereof formed to receive an edge of one of the parts, a first leg integrally formed with said body for seating an edge of the second part, a second leg hingedly connected to said body by a resilient neck, the resilience of said neck tending to force said second leg away from said first said first and second legs together forming a recess therebetween, a locking head integrally formed with said second leg, a first projection on said locking head, and a second projection folded in assembly to be flat in a compressed position between said locking head and the surface which defines said recess for urging said first projection into locking position in the recess.

i. A Weatherstrip adapted to engage adjacent edge portions of two parts to be joined, comprising a body of resilient material having an inwardly extending groove therein adapted to receive the edge portion of one of the two parts, an outwardly extending gripping member formed on the outer side of said body and adapted to seat the other of the two parts, said gripping member having one leg normally displaced from the gripping position, a T-shaped locking head formed on the normally displaced leg and having an opening adjacent thereto, and a reces formed in the Weatherstrip body to receive one portion of the cross bar on the T-shaped locking head, the other portion of the cross bar being deformed in assembly in the opening adjacent the locking head in the locked position, said one portion being longer than said other portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,288,329 Smith June 30, 1942 2,505,893 Haas May 2, 1950 2,623,250 Chilton Dec. 30, 1952 

